Are you watching Streeting? Putin's war chest to rise to record 35% of state budget by next year as he slashes welfare, education and healthcare to fund 17.1trillion ruble (£154bn) military
Published: | Updated:
Vladimir Putin has sent a message to dithering UK ministers by increasing Russian defence spending to a record 35 per cent of the Kremlin's overall budget.
The Russian President, whose invasion of Ukraine has already caused 1.5 million casualties on his own side, could use the war chest to attack Britain.
The record outlay comes as the top ranks of the Labour government procrastinate over when they will sanction desperately needed increases in UK defence spending.
After resigning as Defence Secretary over then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's failure to confirm defence spending will reach 3 per cent of GDP, one of John Healey's first acts as Chancellor in Andy Burnham's government was to put off the same announcement.
Despite Russia's hybrid warfare campaign across western Europe, including inside Britain, Mr Burnham still appears determined to prioritise welfare spending instead.
By comparison, the defence spending projections disclosed by President Putin make chilling reading. Next year, Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion rubles on defence – around £150billion.
UK investment in its armed forces and security infrastructure currently lingers at £62billion per year, or 2.7 per cent of GDP.
While UK defence expenditure is expected to flatline at 2.7 per cent of GDP over the coming years, in 2027 Vladimir Putin will hike his military spending by 27 per cent
When he resigned as Defence Secretary in June, John Healey attacked the government's failure to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on the armed forces by 2030. As Chancellor he has failed so far to offer that guarantee.
As Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting's rhetoric on spending on the armed forces has been bullish, warning Labour's Left wingers to accept compromises in other areas
To reach the Nato defence spending target of 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, the UK government needs to find an additional £25billion each year for the next nine years.
So far, there has been no explanation from Mr Burnham about where those additional billions will be found.
The increase to 17.1 trillion rubles is around 27 per cent higher than the 13.5 trillion Mr Putin previously budgeted for, and could cause the Russian economy to collapse according to Western officials.
Western intelligence assessments indicate that level of spending becomes unsustainable from 2028, while Mr Putin's plans to mobilise a further 300,000 conscripts for the conflict in Ukraine will create huge gaps in Russia's labour market.
Earlier this month, the UK Prime Minister was labelled 'blasé Burnham' after Britain failed to respond to Russia's hybrid attacks on Nato territory.
Despite Poland's PM warning the Kremlin intends to target Nato states, and France's President warning that attacks are 'intensifying', the UK declared there was no change in Russia's intentions.
A growing number of European leaders are warning Russia may be prepared to test their commitment to supporting Ukraine even further.
In recent months, the Kremlin has launched 'hybrid attacks' across the continent, using drones packed with explosives. This month, Poland, Lithuania and Germany have been targeted.
Other Baltic states have also been the focus of Russian operations this year. Those countries have responded by boosting their defence spending and their support for Ukraine.
After convening a meeting at the Elysee Palace, France's president Emmanuel Macron warned Russia was trying to 'intimidate' Ukraine's allies and urged countries to protect sites involved in weapons production.
While in the UK, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage called on the Prime Minister to set out plans for security improvements.
In a post on X earlier this month she urged the PM to match the 'growing urgency' of Nato allies by stepping up preparations for direct conflict with Russia and investing more in the country's armed forces.
Mrs Badenoch posted: 'Macron and Tusk are speaking and acting with an urgency that makes the latest reports about Russia violating Lithuanian airspace even more concerning.'
Former British Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram told the Mail: 'A European war could lead to a global conflict. I've not seen more dangerous conditions in the past 40 years.
'This is not scaremongering. It seems that blasé Burnham will realise too late to do anything about it. It takes time to rebuild a credible defence capability. We don't have the luxury of time.'
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.